Ottavia Bourdain Tries Veganism for Two Weeks

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I had to do a double-take when I read that headline, too.

Ottavia Bourdain, Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and perhaps more notably, wife of famous television-foodie personality, Anthony Bourdain, tried a vegan diet for health reasons for a solid two weeks.

Unlike many celebrities who already eat their fruits and veggies, Bourdain noted that this was a huge departure from her current diet: “My husband and I are huge carnivores…Our refrigerator is stocked with all kinds of delicious animal protein. Friends know that if they want to send something over, a meat basket is always appreciated.”

This transition was also difficult for Anthony Bourdain, who has long been a vocal opponent of veganism, calling vegans “a Hezbollah-like splinter-faction [that] are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn.”

The two-week trial was sparked by meeting “a few vegetarians and vegans I actually get along with…UFC fighterAkira Corassani and MMA photographer Ryan Loco.” After hearing about faster recovery times and the other athletic benefits of a vegan diet, Ottavia decided to give it a try. And she blogged about her experience over at Fightland.

“My husband thinks I’ve completely lost my mind. I promise him it’s only for a few days and that I’m really doing it so I can finally write about a favorite topic of mine: my bowel movements. He’s still concerned.” What’s more, Ottavia decided to take on this new diet just a few weeks before competing at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s New York Open.

Her blog entries are fraught with frustrations over the blandness of fake meat, a surprising difficultly finding restaurants that she enjoys, her husbands protestations, and more than a few entries about her visits to the bathroom. But, in the end, she admits that her vegan diet made her feel awesome. And most impressively, she won gold at the New York Open while on a vegan diet.

And while she celebrated her win with a hamburger, she notes that this vegan experiment has changed her for the better. “I still don’t think this is something I could do every day for every meal, but from now on I will probably have a little less meat.” We’re sure that’s something even her cantankerous husband can agree with.